Avalon, A novel

A profound and singular story about a young woman searching for her place in the world, from one of Americas most original voicesthe irresistible story of one teenagers reckoning with society at large and her search for a personal utopia.Brans Southern California upbringing is anything but traditional. After her mother joins a Buddhist colony, Bran is raised by her common-law stepfather on Bourdon Farmsa plant nursery that doubles as a cover for a biker gang. She spends her days tending plants, slogging through high school, and imagining what life could be if she had been born to a different family. And then she meets Peter, a beautiful, troubled, and charming train wreck of a college student from the East Coast, who launches his teaching career by initiating her into the world of literature and aesthetics. As the two begin a volatile and ostensibly doomed long-distance relationship, Bran...